08/28/2014State Botanical Garden of Georgia to hold Insect-ival! Family Festival

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia will host the 22nd annual Insect-ival! Family Festival on Sept. 13 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Visitor Center and Conservatory at the garden in Athens.

The event will feature educational games, discovery stations, roach races, an active beehive and an insect tasting. The popular butterfly release will take place at 11 a.m. on the lawn of the International Garden.

Garden volunteer Ann Blum has compiled 18 educational puppet shows she's written for the annual festival. A signed copy of her book of puppet shows with supplemental information about each topic will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $5 per person or a maximum of $20 per family. Children under the age of two are free. Pre-registration is not required. For more information, see botgarden.uga.edu or call (706) 542-6156.

Insect-ival! is sponsored by EarthShare of Georgia, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, the UGA Lund Club, the UGA Department of Entomology and the Georgia Museum of Natural History.

University of Georgia entomologist Paul Guillebeau teaches children male bees don't sting by placing one in his mouth at a past Insect-ival event. This year's Insect-ival is set for Sept. 13 at the State Botanical Gardens in Athens. UGA entomology club members and faculty from the entomology department will offer exhibits at the event.

University of Georgia entomologist Paul Guillebeau teaches children male bees don't sting by placing one in his mouth at a past Insect-ival event. This year's Insect-ival is set for Sept. 13 at the State Botanical Gardens in Athens. UGA entomology club members and faculty from the entomology department will offer exhibits at the event. Download Image